


The Magic of Stories

by VoidArcana



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Other, god AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 18:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17750909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidArcana/pseuds/VoidArcana
Summary: There are consequences to living in a world where literally all of existence knows your name.





	The Magic of Stories

See, there’s magic in a bard’s song. They call it inspiration, and it tells the listener what they need to hear right when they need to hear it 

On the Day of Story and Song, the day when the sky was filled with black tendrils and an army of monsters threatened the world, there was a story that was told. It spoke of seven travelers, and an impossible journey they made across a hundred worlds, chasing and being chased, desperately searching for a way to stop the unstoppable. 

But just as no two people are ever the same, no two people heard the same story. A bard’s song is magic, and it told people what they needed to hear on that terrifying day. Facing their death, everyone heard a different part of the story, took comfort and solace from hundreds of different tales of hundreds of worlds and seven impossible people. And, just like the song promised, they found the courage to fight back against the darkness, and they found the strength to win! 

After, as the world picks itself back up, unified by their ordeal and The Story, people begin to recount what they heard. A story this big, this important, it gets retold, over and over and over again. The details change based on who tells it, which part of the story had stood out to them in their time of need. As the world moved on and rebuilt, as the seven travelers lived out their lives, grew old and passed on, the world told their stories. 

Maureen Miller had once seen the future, had known what would came to pass. The knowledge drove her insane, but her prophecy had echoed from the conduit she’d contained it in. 

'I saw all of existence, all at once. I saw a dark storm, a living hunger eating it from within. But I saw a brilliant light heralded by seven birds, flying tirelessly from the storm. I saw seven birds.

The Twins; The Lover; The Protector; The Lonely Journal-Keeper; The Peacemaker; and the Wordless One.' 

This knowledge was never included in the story, but knowledge can never be contained for long. There were many prophets who had heard tell of the seven birds, and soon the titles spread far and wide. People began to treat them as if they were beyond mortal, beyond what people can be, what they are capable of, because how could you look at people who had survived a hundred years against The Hunger, and ever see them as mortal again? 

Stories have power, and the more people who believe in stories, the more power they hold. The stories of the seven birds spread across the world, and long after those of the seven birds who still could died,their stories were being told. As the stories were told, they grew,as stories are wont to do. A good story, told well and often, takes on a life of its own, and as it was retold and shared, the power of the story changed. History becomes legend, legend becomes myth, and the people of the world began to leave offerings to the travelers,because after everything they’d done, running across a hundred worlds, dying and coming back and always fighting, who wouldn’t believe in their power? 

It is a rare event, when a god is born. Sometimes it is sudden, power manifesting in a burst to create a new divine. With the birds, it was a slow process, each retelling of their story, each whispered prayer and left offering changing them, making them into MORE. 

Maureen Miller once saw seven birds, a flock that now sits in the heavens to watch over Faerûn. Not the home of their birth, but the home they had chosen to make their own, where they had forged family and friends, and finally won their long, long battle. All across existence their names were known, but in Faerûn especially, they were remembered, and immortalized. 

The Twins, it is said, are never far from each other. The trick to getting on their good side is an offering of good food, and any who deliver sub-par offerings often find themselves on the end of a prank or two. It is said that these two are favoured by the Raven Queen, one who had served her, and one who was beloved of her prized Reaper. 

The Lover as well, is never far from his beloved. He appreciates conundrums, puzzles and questions, things to learn from. He also favoured by the Raven Queen, although far more lenient towards necromancy than he should be. 

The Protector is said to have a host of dogs, and indeed, many claim that theirs are blessed by him (All dogs are blessed by the Protector). Those who seek to protect others, to stand up for those who can’t stand for themselves, often find themselves with a little bit of luck, especially in a fight, as if someone had raised a shield between them and danger. 

The Lonely Journal Keeper (often just referred to as just the Journal Keeper) is often asked about hard decisions, and most centres of learning have shrines dedicated to her. There is an air of sadness to them, but those who pray there say they often find themselves with a steely resolve, and a readiness to face whatever is ahead of them. 

The Peacemaker’s temples are often gardens, and it is said that he is best friends with Pan. His followers tend to be laid back, truthful people, but it suggested that it may not be the sort of temple to go to if you require any sort of healing. Instead they tend to act as makeshift courts, and many disputes are resolved within their bounds.

The Wordless One is favoured by many who brave the open waters, and by those who have a hidden thirst for thrills and adventure. His followers, although sometimes quiet, have depths not easily seen, and the talent to see through deceptions, magical and otherwise. 

 

The Seven Birds, although once mortal, grew far, far beyond. Their stories ensure that they will live on, because really, all stories have power, as long as you tell them.


End file.
